


deeper in the mine

by steepedinwords



Series: we move lightly [6]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Established Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Marriage, mining, mining is dangerous yo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 03:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13941603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steepedinwords/pseuds/steepedinwords
Summary: Jenny comes home after a long day in the mines. Leah takes care of her.





	deeper in the mine

**Author's Note:**

> Rating for minor descriptions of an injury and some swearing.

A full moon shines over Stardew Valley, casting everything into sharp light and shadow. Down in the lane leading to Deep Hollow Farm, a small, exhausted figure treks towards the cabin, stumbling occasionally. Her backpack is held in one hand, rather than strapped over her shoulders. Just a few more steps. Jenny’s boots have never seemed so heavy. She trudges up the newly mended steps and opens the door.

“I had a nice relaxing day. How was yours?”

Hearing Leah’s soft voice, Jenny closes the door and turns towards the sleepy bundle of quilts in one of the big squishy chairs near the fireplace, where her wife is snuggled up, waiting for her. There’s a book open on Leah’s lap, and she’s wearing pajamas and her reading glasses. The firelight reflects against the dark windowpanes of the kitchen.  
Jenny drops her backpack on the ground, not really caring about the contents, and sags against the wall. The pain in her back intensifies and she can’t stifle a groan. Leah takes another look at her and jumps up, quilt and book falling to the floor. “Sweetheart? Oh my gosh, are you okay?”

Remembering her work boots, Jenny tries to bend to take them off, but every inch of her aches, bruised and cut and stinging from the _thing _that had ambushed her down in the mines. Leah is beside her in a moment, kneeling and quickly untying the laces, then taking Jenny’s hands to help her step out of the boots. “Here, sit down -- I’ll get the first aid kit.”__

__It’s not the first time Jenny’s come back from the mines injured, but it’s definitely the worst. Jenny slumps, exhausted, as Leah dabs at the cuts on her face and hands with antiseptic and starts applying bandages._ _

__“What was it this time?” Leah asks, mouth tight with worry._ _

__“Not just slimes,” Jenny says. “Some big… black thing. I dunno what it was.” She closes her eyes. “Sharp claws. Got my back.”_ _

__“Let me see.”_ _

__Jenny turns and hears Leah gasp. “Oh my gosh,” she says again._ _

__“How bad is it?”_ _

__Leah reaches to switch on the kitchen light and very gently tugs on Jenny’s shoulder. “Come here, under the light, and take off your shirt,” she says. “I can’t see -- oh my _gosh _, Jen.” She helps Jenny off with her heavy-duty canvas jacket and holds it up. There are four large tears through the fabric, blood staining the edges. The back of Jenny’s shirt feels stiff, too. She tugs at it experimentally and her shoulders burn. Right, that was why she wasn’t carrying her backpack on her back. Her head feels fuzzy.___ _

____Leah marches to the counter and grabs a pair of scissors from the drawer under the sink to cut off the ripped plaid flannel. Jenny knows she’s trying to be gentle, cutting the shirt off, but it hurts, fuck. The thing managed to slice her back through several layers of fabric and even broke the back strap of her bra. At least that’ll be easier to get off now._ _ _ _

____“I think this might be infected,” Leah says from behind her, voice shaking. “Jenny, Harvey needs to look at this.” She doesn’t ask why Jenny didn’t stop at the doctor’s on the way home. Jenny’s stubbornness around doctors has come up before. Normally Jenny would object, but the last bit of buzzing energy from the tonic she drank in the mines has worn off, and undressing has brought back a wave of pain that’s making her just want to pass out. “Okay,” she says dully._ _ _ _

____Leah looks, if possible, even more concerned. She’s probably taking it as a bad sign that Jenny isn’t fighting her on the doctor thing. But Jenny’s tired, and anyway, it’s Harvey. He’s a good dude, even if he’s a doctor. He’s not going to be like that medical student in her childhood who jabbed her in the tonsils with a strep throat swap. If she has to have someone poke and disinfect her, she’d rather it was Leah, but she can probably trust Harvey to know what he’s doing._ _ _ _

____Leah’s hovering, anxious. “Maybe I should clean these first,” she says, and Jenny nods, too tired to really care much one way or the other._ _ _ _

____The shower’s heat feels nice on Jenny’s chest, but when she turns around in the water, she almost screams. It’s exquisitely painful. But washing up is probably good for her. Leah pats her back dry very gingerly, and the towel she drops on the floor afterwards is spotted with fresh blood. Being slightly less dirty does feel better, but Jenny’s getting more and more light-headed. “Can I lie down?’_ _ _ _

____They get her into clothes - boxer shorts, a clean button-down pajama shirt worn backwards, with the buttons undone - and Leah helps her lie down on her stomach on their bed, pushes Jenny’s curls out of her face. She kisses Jenny’s forehead._ _ _ _

____“I’ll be back as quick as I can.” Jenny, lying with her head on her arms, turns enough to watch Leah move towards the door, pull on coat and boots. There’s the soft click of the door closing, the creaking of the porch steps._ _ _ _

____Every time she closes her eyes, she sees it again. Less of a clearly defined shape than a huge, pitch-black, nebulous cloud of energy, utterly silent. Red eyes somewhere in that terrifying blackness, and sharp claws that were her first clue as to its presence, raking across her back and shoulders and tearing her pack off effortlessly. She’d scrambled away, adrenaline helping her leap over a couple of boulders to reach her pack and then sprint to the ancient elevator. Waiting for the doors to creak shut while the creature came towards her was horrible. Once the doors were shut, she’d sagged against the metal wall, barely noticing the stab of pain, and thrown back the entire bottle of tonic she carried in her jacket pocket._ _ _ _

____She relives those few terrifying minutes over and over, even after dozing off into a restless sleep. It feels like only a few minutes before she jerks awake at the sound of boots thumping, voices talking. Only Leah and Harvey, she tells her racing heart._ _ _ _

____“In here, Harv.” Leah appears, haloed in light from the kitchen. She comes to kneel beside the bed, taking Jenny’s hand. “Hey, sweetheart. We’re back. You feelin’ okay?”_ _ _ _

____“Mmph.” Jenny raises her head from her arms a little to look at them. Her mouth feels like someone shoved her favourite wool sweater into it, dry and fuzzy. The pain has faded to a dull ache, but she can feel her pulse in her shoulders and it would be unsettling if she didn’t feel so numb. Harvey’s looming over the bed, wearing a coat pulled over stripey old-man pajamas. Jenny wants to laugh, but there’s just no energy left. “Hey, doc.”_ _ _ _

____“Hi, Jenny.” Harvey’s face is pinched in concern, and when he leans over to take a look at her gashes, he hisses in sympathy._ _ _ _

____“That bad, huh?” Jenny manages. She feels likes she should be self-conscious that someone’s looking at her bare back, but it’s hard to be anything right now. Her head feels hot and heavy, and she rests it against her arms again. Leah’s hands are cool and nice. Something cool and stinging on her throbbing back. It’s hard to track what’s happening. She bites her lip, closing her eyes._ _ _ _

____Eventually Harvey must finish messing around with her cuts, because he leaves her alone. He and Leah help Jenny sit up in the tangle of quilts and drink something bitter, and then she’s mercifully allowed to lie down again. Jenny hears Harvey from what seems like far away through a haze of pain, saying, “Next time just knock on my door, Jenny, I don’t care what time it is - ” but she’s drifting off, and the pillow is nice and soft against her cheek, and Leah’s still with her so she’s safe. No monsters here._ _ _ _

____It’s full daylight when she wakes again. Sunshine pours in through the bedroom window. Jenny tries to move but her arms are asleep, which leaves her helplessly stuck on her stomach like a turtle on its back. She really has to pee._ _ _ _

____“Leah?” she croaks._ _ _ _

____Footsteps scuff across the plank floor from the kitchen, and Leah appears in the doorway, a steaming mug in her hands. “Hey, look who’s awake.” Her green eyes are fond.  
“What time is it?” Jenny’s neck is very stiff from lying on her stomach, but she doesn’t feel feverish anymore. She remembers drifting in and out of sleep and through a lot of bad dreams, but they’re dissipating in the sunlight. Her shoulders ache._ _ _ _

____“Two o’clock. On Thursday.”_ _ _ _

____She’d gone out mining on Monday. Panic washes over Jenny - she’s slept way too long, she’ll be behind on so much work, her crops, the _chickens _\--___ _ _ _

______“Oh, hey - hey, don’t try to move,” Leah says hastily, as Jenny tries to get up and her arms fail her again. “You’ll open up your cuts.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“The chickens - I have chores to do - ” Everything in Jenny is freaking out. She can’t just _take a day off _like that --___ _ _ _ _ _

________“No.” Leah is firm. “You are staying _right there _until you’re not actively bleeding out all over the floor, you stubborn - ” Her voice is trembling again. They don’t argue very often. “Maru and Sam and Harvey came over and did all the chores. Jas helped, even. Everything is fine.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Did they water the - ”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes. They did everything, they asked me what to do, they had a list. People are going to help till you get better. Don’t worry about it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Jenny falls back into the pillows, the brief adrenaline rush gone and leaving her still very tired. Leah slumps onto the bed beside her, worry lines carved into her forehead. There are tears in her eyes. “I don’t like having to argue you down.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m sorry.” Jenny’s eyes are wet too. They stay in silence for a bit.  
“You’re part of this town now,” Leah says softly after a while. “We’ll take care of you. You’re not at Joja anymore, you don’t have to run yourself into the ground.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Jenny sniffles, and wriggles around despite the pain till she can awkwardly tuck an arm around Leah’s waist, press her face into her hip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Want some tea?” Leah holds out the mug she’d set down on the nightstand, a peace offering. When Jenny’s finished drinking that, Leah helps her to the bathroom, helps her lie down again, and stays with her, reading aloud from the book they’re taking turns reading to each other till her voice is hoarse. And every time Jenny drifts off and wakes up again, Leah’s nearby._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________And the world doesn’t end when Jenny stops working. Things are pretty okay when she’s finally allowed to gimp around a little. The nest of eggs that one of the chickens has been brooding over has hatched, so there are tiny peeping balls of fuzz racing around the coop again. Her crops have grown - the corn is beginning to show silky tassels outside of the ears, the blueberries are ripening from green to dusky blue. There’s grass and weeds creeping closer to the fields from the brush, and no one remembered about the fish traps in the pond so they smell pretty foul. Her favourite canvas jacket is a wreck. Leah’s started to preserve the fruits and vegetables that people helped to pick. She finds out there was a roster of people who took turns helping with chores on the farm, and the huge bouquet of roses Granny Evelyn sent over is still gorgeous, and Leah sat with Jenny and kept her company even when she was moping over not being able to get up. Jenny waves to Mayor Lewis, pulling in from the laneway in his truck. Her shoulder still twinges, but she’s healing. It’s good to be someplace where people really care what happens to her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It’s good to belong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
